The pain of wounds
by mosshadow
Summary: An alternative view point from Cloudtail and Brightheart about the dog attack. Can be sad and gory at points. Rated T for safety though not very violent. This is done by Brightclaw, Mosshadow's Co-author.
1. Chapter 1

CH1

"Hey Fireheart where is Brightpaw and Swiftpaw? It's a little…early for her to be on the dawn patrol?" I asked the cold morning air around me._ No I can't ask Fireheart that_. What should I say then? I was still working on how to phrase a question about my best friend. But, I didn't know how to ask him, or even if I should say anything at all to him. I had just peered into the apprentice den to see if she was up yet, but she was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Swiftpaw. Brightpaw probably felt hurt that she and Swiftpaw were not made a warrior when I was. But when I looked to see how she was doing she wasn't there! Should I tell Fireheart?

My whole body felt exhausted from the night's vigil of becoming a warrior. If only we had done it together. It would have been nice becoming a warrior along with Brightpaw and Swiftpaw. I quickly searched for Fireheart; I noticed he was chatting with Fernpaw in the middle of the hollow.

I choked with horror after hearing what their conversation was about,

"What a mousebrained idea," I burst out as I bounded toward them. Fernpaw had just said that my two friends, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw had just gone out into the forest by themselves to find out what was stealing our food! What a thoughtless idea, they could get seriously wounded or worse, killed. I reassured myself that it would be alright, that they would never be able to find it, and even if they did it couldn't hurt them. They can easily defend themselves after all.

"Did you see them go when you were on vigil?" Fireheart demanded.

I shook my head, I had utterly messed up!


	2. Chapter 2

CH 2

I lifted my head to gaze up at the great sycamore. It stood like a mountain over our part of the forest, like a mother sheltering her young. I had often felt safe along with the other apprentices when playing under the shade of the massive limbs. But now, with all the darkness slowly spreading in the forest, it seemed frail and weak. I followed behind Swiftpaw through green leafy undergrowth that seemed to keep scratching at my pelt no matter how soft it looked.

It's not fair that we weren't made warriors, I thought angrily, why does Cloudtail get to be a warrior and not us? We are just as good as him. Nevertheless, I guess I should be feeling happy for him not envious that he got to be made a warrior before us. After all, he is my best friend. Unfortunately, I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I had not realized that I had begun to say them aloud. Swiftpaw turned his black and white head around from scenting to look me in the eye, his were menacing.

"What are you talking about?! This is not Cloudtail we're proving ourselves to," he spat furiously, "its Bluestar. That mousebrained kittypet doesn't deserve to be a warrior. He's been taking credit for everything we have done together in battle. I thought maybe a kittypet could have had enough honor to tell Bluestar that we deserve to become warriors too! But apparently I was mistaken"

"Come on Swiftpaw, he hasn't had any time to tell Bluestar, and if you think he doesn't like us any more, remember that he just became a warrior last night so he couldn't talk to us."I pleaded.

"Shut up." Swiftpaw growled. We pushed deeper into the woods, and farther from the safety of camp.

We were deathly silent as we stealthily sneaked towards snakerocks, to search for our enemy. I smelled what I was sure was the sour tang of some malevolent creature, our enemy. Suddenly I realized what I scented. We both slowly looked up trembling at the sight of the animal before us.

We both gasped, "Dogs!"


	3. Chapter 3

A note from Mosshadow: I know this may have inconsistencies, Brightclaw is a novice, so this is a slight AU fic. After these few inconsistencies the rest will be fine. So read and review for my awesome co author!

* * *

CH3

"When was this?" asked Fireheart. I heard fear tingeing his voice

"I'm not sure, before dawn." Her voice started to get high pitched. My heartbeat increased until it felt like it would burst. They had been out for a long time. Who knows what had happened to them by now. Oh please Brightpaw be safe, please be safe.

"We'll have to go after them," Fireheart hissed urgently.

"I'm coming," I mewed instantly," Brightpaw is out there. If anything's hurt her I'll…I'll shred it to pieces!" My best friend was out there I would not let her be hurt my anything if I could stop it.

Fireheart sent me to gather more warriors to help search. I found Graystripe and Sandstorm just stepping out of the warrior's den. I raced toward them as if fire was licking my pelt and quickly explained the problem. We hurried back to Fireheart and set off on our search.

As we raced through the thorn tunnel I felt terrified at what we might find. We bounded through the forest. Sandstorm was in the lead tracking Brightpaw's and Swiftpaw's scent trail, followed by Fireheart and Graystripe, while Fernpaw and myself trailed behind practically side-by-side. The forest seemed as if it was closing in on me. I didn't feel safe, I felt as if every brush and bramble might conceal a blood thirsty creature. Before long we neared snakerocks where their scent trails lead us. That was when I all but stopped cold in my tracks. I told myself they're safe, they have to be. Just because their scent leads to snakerocks doesn't mean anything bad happened. But inside me a sense of terror and dread grew as we rapidly approached our destination.

Almost abruptly we reached it and I breathed in some air. I nearly suffocated from the mingled scents of my friends, the stench of dog and the reek of freshly spilt blood. I kept repeating quickly to myself that it wasn't Brightpaw's or Swiftpaw's blood. It has to have been the dog's blood. We all tensed and slowed down until we were practically crawling through the undergrowth toward snakerocks. We couldn't call to our friends either in case we attracted the dogs' wrath. That was when we reached snakerocks, and what we all saw stopped us dead in our tracks. I nearly ran all the way back to camp, back to the warm safety of camp. Away from the sinister and bloody nightmare this morning had become.

Paws slashed at me, blood flew. I felt a sharp agonizing pain across my side and face. That's when I realized I was the one bleeding and I that I couldn't see in my….. eye.

"Help me Brightpaw!" it was Swiftpaw, with my one good eye I spotted him. His pelt stained with blood. I ran to him, fighting everything in my way. But I was of little use with only one good eye. I finally reached Swiftpaw and tried to clamp my teeth on his scruff to drag him and myself up a tree and out of danger. I was a hairs width from him when a dog closed his repugnant jaws on my back, shook me like a rag-doll, and then threw me against a tree. I was barely awake enough to clumsily scramble up the tree I was thrown against. I clung terrified to the nearest branch I climbed onto. I saw Swiftpaw fall with no strength, one outstretched paw could be seen from the tangle of dogs, a pool of bright red blood spread out from behind the paw, and then I heard him cry my name with his last breath.

"Swiftpaw" I whispered.

I lost my balance then and fell to the ground. I slowly rose; full of vengeance for the first cat I had ever loved the most in my life. The leader snarled menacingly and charged straight at me. I stood my ground bravely but deep inside me I felt they would rip me up and leave my mangled body all chewed up for my friends to find. My spirit would wake in the skies of Starclan to walk with Swiftpaw's. I slashed my paw against the leader of the dogs, but I knew it was just fighting the inevitable, fighting the surge of the destruction. A dog slashed me with cruel claws upon my hind legs and I collapsed as a blow landed on my face again and blood poured as the pain increased. I was picked up by my flank and shook up like a leaf being played with by a kit. And finally I was thrown into something hard and my vision went entirely. As the sounds of the dogs' snarls, the searing pain from all over my body, and the sight of Swiftpaw's bloody mangled body faded I thought this was the end. I knew I would be dead soon.

Why had we agreed to search for these monsters? Why were we so mousebrained? Why did we come here, just to be slaughtered for the sake of trying to gain recognition? Why couldn't I save Swiftpaw? I don't want to die too. I want to be with my friends playing and training. Starclan save me.

"Brightpaw!" I screeched.

"No, Cloudtail wait!" Fireheart yowled.

I didn't hear him for I had already flung myself at the dogs edging themselves toward Brightpaw. I furiously slashed at all of them as if the whole of Starclan was fighting beside me. They realized I was the one attacking them and finally turned on me. By that time all my companions had joined me in the fight. Sandstorm and Fernpaw were taking turns assailing a dog that looked as strong and vicious as a warrior from Lionclan. Fernpaw would rush in and slash its flank and then quickly bound away. Then Sandstorm would do the same on the other side of the dog before it snapped the tail of off Fernpaw. Graystripe was easily fending off a dog twice his size, while Fireheart was fighting off two smaller dogs that seemed extremely vicious for their size.

I was so lost in watching my friends that I nearly forgot the leader of the pack. I heard an intimidating growl and looked up to see the most monstrous dog I had ever seen in my life. I just as soon ran away, all my fury quickly slipping away as I felt what real danger I was in. The dog was close on my heels that I could feel his hot breath against my tail. I swerved around, the dog's snapping jaws just a mousewhisker from my tail, and then I saw Brightpaw all bloody and dying. I again felt vengeance surge through my veins reeled around and leapt onto the back of that wretched blood-thirsty monster and tore at his pelt. I bit at his neck so hard I had to spit out chunks of fur bloodied my bits of flesh. Even though the dog ran around trying its hardest to shake me off I held on furiously. I kept marring his pelt until he finally ran away howling. I jumped off abruptly but not without leaving one last wound upon his body. I looked around and saw my friends chasing off the dogs they had fought. I bounded towards them and felt the sickening wind from one clumsy dog that nearly crashed into me. The dogs ran past me and didn't stop for anything.

When Fireheart spotted me he immediately ran towards me. I wondered why he looked so worried. Then I looked at my pelt and found out why. Half of my pelt was soaked in blood. I bounded over and told him I was alright it was just the dog's blood, not mine. As soon as I said that I vaulted towards Brightpaw's body lying stiffly against a birch. Fireheart leaped after me raving that I had to be checked out by Yellowfang first. I leaned my head towards Brightpaw's head listening hard. I heard her breathing faintly.

"She's still alive!" I yowled. I felt like crying, for joy or fear I didn't know.

Sandstorm and Graystripe were carefully carrying Swiftpaw's body on their backs towards Brightpaw and me. Fernpaw followed right behind. Fireheart was already by my side apparently angry at me for bounding off like that but more worried about Brightpaw.

By the time Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Fernpaw had arrived Fireheart and I had Brightpaw upon our backs too. We all as quickly as we could while being as extremely careful as was possible, made our way back to camp. As we entered the camp and saw all the waking cats staring at who we carried, we went straight to the medicine cat's den. I believed all of us were all thinking the same thing as we set Brightpaw and Swiftpaw down. Please live my friends.


End file.
